“Ageing and robots are more closely related than you might think. Young countries with many children have few robots. Ageing nations have lots.” South Korea, Singapore, Germany and Japan top the list, but there needs to be a shift in focus. “An ageing world needs more resourceful robots” that can help care for seniors “rather than take people’s jobs.”

“In Germany, a Cold War deal to host U.S. nuclear weapons is now in question” as debate “flares up for the first time since the 1980s.” Chancellor Merkel’s coalition partners “are reconsidering their support for a decades old arrangement that puts Germany under the U.S. nuclear shield, a development that could further undermine the country’s already-tense relationship with the Trump administration.”

“Germany gets more than a third of its electricity from burning coal,” but a government-panel “has recommended that Germany stop burning coal to generate electricity by 2038 at the latest, as part of efforts to curb climate change.” The proposal needs approval by lawmakers, but a recent ZDF opinion poll indicates strong public support: “73 percent of Germans agree a quick exit from coal is very important.”

Angela Merkel “is doing the right thing in stepping down…. The best leaders are those who know when it’s time to exit.” But Europe will lose a “remarkable” leader who was “compassionate when hearts grew cold, committed to unity when others abandoned it.”

“President Trump’s efforts to isolate Iran at the U.N. backfired.” “The fiery speeches against Iran,” instead, revealed the “divisions… between the U.S. and its closest allies.” Most “foreign nations have opted to defend the agreement” with Iran, “rather than join America’s outbursts against it.” In fact, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, and France agreed “to set up legal entity to circumvent U.S. sanctions.”

Despite the “unanimous concern and disappointment” expressed in a statement by G7 members Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK, ”the Trump administration showed no sign of backing down from restrictive tariffs” or provided any indication “that the administration was wary of inching closer to a trade war.”

Germany “is turning its back on traditionally powered cars and looking towards electric for its future. Data provided by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority…shows a surprisingly sharp upwards trend in EV purchases compared to 2017.” The data also shows diesel sales are “withering” and reveals an unexpected surprise: “Kia’s Soul EV topped the charts by selling 721 units in April, followed by the BMW i3 with 491 cars.”

“Germany is entering a new era. It is becoming more diverse, open, informal and hip.” As the Merkel era draws to a close, “many of the country’s defining traits—its ethnic and cultural homogeneity, conformist and conservative society, and unwillingness to punch its weight in international diplomacy—are suddenly in flux.”

“What happened in the UK in 2016 is now happening in Germany. A referendum is causing total havoc in the political system.” The members of the centre-left Social Democratic party must vote on whether to support the life sustaining coalition cobbled together by Angela Merkel. The party leadership does not appear to have a majority. “Even if there is a narrow vote in favour, it is hard to see how this coalition, and Ms Merkel, can last a full term.”